It Makes My Dome Hurt
by brodie-wan
Summary: Chapter 6 is here! Alderaan destroyed! The Falcon caught in a tractor beam! How does R2 process the action. Come inside and see.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: It Makes My Dome Hurt  
>Characters: R2-D2 and all your OT favorites.<br>Time Frame: ANH  
>Genre: dramedy<br>Summary: R2 recounts ANH  
>Disclaimer: It all George's jungle<br>**

**Autours Note: This was originally posted on another site many years ago when FF.N was not even on my radar. It is the only epic, so to speak, I've ever written. I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you will too. **

**From a plot bunny by my friend Lola64**

**It Makes My Dome Hurt **

_I remember my brothers dying in battle around me…_

_I remember standing before the queen, being praised for my bravery…._

_I remember a little boy attacking a Trade Federation blockade…with me at his side…_

_I remember Anakin and the senator in danger…_

_I remember flying…_

_I remember Anakin and General Kenobi on Grievous' ship…_

_They needed me._

******

Now, the Princess needs me, and the name Kenobi has only a faint familiarity.

Our escape and subsequent crash was dramatic, but not as terrible as C-3PO would tell. We survived. We weren't damaged. He likes to fret. Sometimes, I think it's the actual fuel that keeps him going. Yes, we split for a while after we landed planetside. I knew where I was going and Goldie didn't. He knew nothing of the message. I tried to tell him, but he wasn't interested. I was not going to follow him this time. I had a mission.

As the Force would have it, we were reunited by the Jawas. That tazer, or what ever it was, hurt more than I thought it would. It does more than just put you to sleep. It shocks your systems into dormancy. I won't lie to you; I was as excited to see C-3PO as he was to see me when we found each other on that sand crawler. I didn't realize, no matter how capable I am, that being alone is not a comfortable existence.

I have to hand it to my partner. He did not hang me out to dry. He made it look good, but he wasn't gonna let me go. Maybe his six million forms of communication let him know ahead of time that the Orange Old Timer was going to blow a seal. Now the two of us are in the custody of a moisture farmer and his disaffected son. The boy looks unhappy to me. I wonder what makes his life so hard. It is hot here. Maybe that's it.

This little diversion from our original plan is making my dome hurt. I know the Princess was coming here. I know she wants me to deliver a message. I have to find this General Kenobi. C-3PO seems content with his new life. Like, being dropped on this desert planet was some kind of boon. He has always been adaptable, but we just left the Princess. How can he forget her so soon?

I have to find Kenobi…Why does that name sound so familiar? 

It was cold when I left the Lars moisture farm. I didn't mind. As long as it wasn't freezing, I'd find Obi-Wan Kenobi. I didn't tell anyone I was leaving because no one wanted to listen. Luke had seen the Princess' message, and was intrigued, even excited, but he was not spurred to action. As I saw when I first met him, the boy seemed sad, even confined here on Tatooine. When I looked at him, something niggled at my memory circuits, but I couldn't make a connection. Goldie (He hates it when I call him that) harangued me as usual, repeating virtually everything the boy said. I knew what I had to do. So, when the two of them weren't looking, I went looking.

The desert was peaceful that night. At least, it appeared so through my optic sensor. I was happy not to be in the open desert. As C-3PO found out, sand gets in the most uncomfortable places. Even here, I doubt I will be able to avoid it. I was also pleased to be able to move freely along paths worn by travelers before me. Perhaps, one of these paths will lead me to Kenobi. There is that niggle again. It's like a very subtle stray energy surge. I've heard other humanoid beings call it a chill or hairs standing on the back of their neck. I'm not sure whether it's a warning or some sort of déjà vu? I'm a droid for Force sake. Why am I attributing these living being characteristics to myself? Kenobi-niggle-Luke niggle-Obi-Wan-niggle. My dome hurts even more, now.

I knew they would come after me once they noticed I was gone. The old man, Owen, had given Luke the responsibility of getting us cleaned up and on duty by this morning. I guess I threw a wrench into those plans. Luke will be scouring the desert looking for me. I'm sure C-3PO is right at his side bad mouthing me as usual. I really have no time for worrying about the needs of local teen. The fate of the galaxy rests on me getting this message delivered. The princess was desperate or she wouldn't have given me the information in the first place. The least I could do is get it to her intended recipient.

I had my sensors going almost constantly while I was out there. I'd been scanning for any inkling of technology. I heard a lot of strange noises, some closer than others, but I hadn't found anything. If something didn't happen soon, I'd be stuck; my only hope, another sandcrawler.

It wasn't long before two things happened. One, Luke's sand speeder hit my radar. He would be here soon and my mission would be a failure. He'd wipe my memory for sure. _Niggle._ This has got to stop. Secondly, those noises I was hearing were getting closer and, if I'm right, a lot less friendly. Just as I wheeled into a one in a million hiding place, Luke's speeder arrived…and there was another hit on my radar. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Luke found me hiding and asked where I thought I was going. He'd already seen the holo, was there really any question. I explained to the boy that nothing was going to stop me from finding Obi-Wan Kenobi. The princess had charged me and I would not fail her. Of course, Goldie didn't translate my statement accurately, but proceeded to editorialize about who my new master was and that Kenobi was no longer our concern. I was about to disagree when we were interrupted by a high pitched sound.

Luke knew the sound and wanted to investigate. He mentioned "Sand People" but that meant nothing to me. He and C-3PO went to investigate. That was fine with me. I wanted to get back to my mission anyway. But my radar would not leave me alone. There were contacts approaching from different angles and I had no idea what to do. I tried to shout a warning, but I soon found out that I was too late.

I heard another scream, but this one was even higher, harsher, and closer. I heard scuffles and a bleat from C-3PO. There was nothing I could do. I rolled back into my hiding place to see what would happen. Soon, I saw two of the Sand People drag and unconscious Luke directly into my view. They left him there as they searched his speeder for anything of value. I knew better. Luke had nothing. I just hoped they would not turn their attention to me. I didn't see C-3PO anywhere.

My travels, in the desert, to this point, have led me to believe it was a quiet place, but from all the noise I've experienced in the last few minutes, my assessment may have been premature.

SSSSKKKREEEEEK!

See what I mean? This was the loudest noise to date and it spooked Luke's attackers. They took off running. Slowly rolling from my warren, I notice a single, robed figure coming toward us. He walked awkwardly and appeared to have a pointed head, though I knew it was the hood of his robe. I watched intently as the man approached my new "master". I couldn't see his face as he knelt next to Luke and placed his hand on the boy's forehead. Was he a doctor? I must have made a sound because he turned and looked right at me. He stood and lowered his hood. He told me not to worry and that Luke would be fine.

The man looked familiar in a way I could not place. The beard and hair were gray. That was different for sure. He seemed tired overly burdened. But, who wouldn't, living in the deep desert?

As soon as Luke woke up, the old man was asking him all kinds of questions. The primary, of course, was what were we doing out here? He explained that I was source of all the trouble and that I was going on about my mission. It wasn't until Luke mentioned Obi-Wan Kenobi and the plans for the battle station that the old man took a real interest. As soon as the words came from his mouth, Ben looked at me sharply.

It was that look that popped the niggle and opened my memory circuits. The beard, the eyes, the thoughtful, regal bearing. Obi-wan Kenobi! Of course! We saved the children…Luke (!) and Leia (!) How could I forget? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The ride back to Kenobi's cottage was uneventful; at least, to start. He and Luke talked about the weather, which was a short conversation, considering it was always hot and dry on Tatooine. I kept my "eye" on Kenobi the whole trip, trying to connect the Kenobi I remembered to the man I saw in front of me. I began sorting through all the recently retrieved memory files looking for the moment I last saw him. AHA! It was the _Tantive IV_! Wait. The _Tantive IV_ was the ship Goldie and I escaped from just days ago. What's going on here?

******

_I remember Anakin turning evil._

_I remember Anakin and Obi-Wan stalking each other before..._

_I remember Padme giving birth in both physical and emotional pain._

_I remember the infants, Luke and Leia, wrapped in swaddling clothes._

_I remember Padme's last words: "There is still good in him."_

******

"Still good in who?" C-3PO asked, in his oh so condescending way.

I must have spoken out in my musings, because turning my dome toward Kenobi, I saw him staring at me.

_What is it?_ I asked, my red ocular light squarely on Kenobi.

"Artoo asks if there some kind of problem, Master Kenobi?" C-3PO translated.

"No problem," Kenobi said, his hand reaching to stroke his beard, as he turned, again, to the desert before them.

The rest of the journey was silent and short. When we arrive at Kenobi's home, he and Luke helped extract us from the speeder and led us into the house. As Luke and C-3PO entered the hut, the old man placed his hand on my dome stopping me in my tracks. He told Luke that he would be right in, but the two of us remained outside.

"Don't worry, my little friend, I don't intend to hurt you. But it is apparent that you have information beyond these rebel plans Luke was referring to. I thought this information was gone from you for good."

_So you do remember me? You must. Humans usually don't have their memories wiped as droids do when they change hands._

"I'm afraid I can't understand you? Should I call the protocol droid out here?" Kenobi said.

I shook my dome. That was the last thing I wanted. I had a feeling Goldie's memory wipe was a success, and all of my memories would seem ridiculous fantasy to him.

_Speak your piece, Obi-Wan. I'm listening. And it better have something to do with the Tantive IV. _

He must have gotten the idea of my beep and whistles, because what he said next surprised me.

"I want you to keep a secret, R2? We cannot let Luke know what has gone before."

I listened as Obi-Wan continued about how Luke, like Anakin, was strong with the Force. He said the boy would need to be trained, and that might prove difficult if he knew about his father. I'm not sure I understood why we needed to keep history a secret, but I gave the old man and compliant tootle and followed him into the house.

It was small and dusty, but...I guess that's stating the obvious. I wheeled around main room as Kenobi started spinning his web of good hearted deception. He spoke of Anakin Skywalker as a good friend, which was true right up until the end. He mentioned the Clone Wars and Anakin's role, but started straying from script when he spoke of a Sith Apprentice named Darth Vader killing Luke's father. I guess it was all true…from a certain point of view.

Luke was listening with rapt attention. I imagine that any news of his father, especially from someone who knew him, would be like a cup of cold water in this desert heat. The boy was so desperate for knowledge of anything outside of Tatooine that he had no reason to doubt the old man's words.

I stopped listening and scanned the room for any signs of Kenobi's former life. There was little here, and I guess I could understand it considering the events that led him here.  
>The snap-hiss of a lightsaber caught my attention and I turned to see Obi-Wan holding the blue blade in his hand.<p>

"This was your father's lightsaber," the old man said, handing the ignited saber to Luke. I focused in on the blade's hilt and scanned it. It was Anakin's blade, alright. Kenobi was telling the truth again. I'm going to have to keep tabs on the guy to make sure he doesn't stray too far from what really happened. What did happen? How did Obi-Wan get Anakin's lightsaber? I can guess how it went down. Two men left the platform on Mustafar, and only one returned. I'm beginning to understand Kenobi's reasoning for keeping this a secret.

"You must come with me to Alderaan," Kenobi said, interrupting my reflections.

"Alderaan?" Luke replied incredulously. "I'm not going to Alderaan. I've got to get home. I'm late. I'm in for it as it is."

I stopped listening, again, but it wasn't long before Luke was ready to go. On the move, again. I have to admit that life on a moisture farm was not how I envisioned my latter years. As a matter of fact, I can't image the life span of any droid in this dust bowl being very long.

Fortunately, I would not live out my life on Tatooine, but it was tragedy that afforded my reprieve.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Luke offered Ben a ride to Anchorhead, but that was all. The message from the Princess, Ben's talk of Luke's father, and the lure of the Force could not overcome Luke inborn sense of responsibility. Misery as a moisture farmer seemed to have a greater hold on the boy than the life in the stars he so desperately wanted.

We never made it Anchorhead. On our way there, we stumbled onto a Jawa Sandcrawler that had been attacked. Jawas laid about, dead, and the Sandcrawler has giant blast scars that were not made by local weapons. I scanned the area. Luckily, the attackers were long gone, but who the attackers were had my dome hurting again. Imperial Storm troopers.

Kenobi was saying as much as I turned my attention on he and Luke. Luke was confused, but it dawned on him soon enough that the troopers were were looking for C-3PO and me. And if they were looking for us, the troopers would have found out who bought us, and that would them back...

"Home."

Luke jumped into his speeder and raced back to his homestead, hoping to be in time to save his aunt and uncle. Kenobi knew, as did Goldie and I, that it was too late. So, we waited.  
>C-3PO continued to "clean up" while Kenobi sat on a nearby boulder stroking his beard. He seemed to do that a lot. I'm not sure if it was a nervous habit or just a mannerism that showed he was thinking. But in this case, it was probably both.<p>

I rolled up to Kenobi, giving a sympathetic wheeze.

"What are we going to do know?" I asked.

Goldie repeated the question, and the old man just kept stroking his beard. He didn't say anything.

"Luke will be back soon. The news won't be good. He will have to go to Alderaan, now," I tried, again.

"No, R2, the news will not be good. His aunt and uncle are dead. I felt it in the Force. This is not how I wanted Luke to go into training."

"How were you planning to get to Alderaan? The boy has no money, nor do you appear to."

"That is a good question, my little friend. I have some money, but not enough to get us good ship, or even a bad one. But we will manage. The Force will provide."

I turned my dome to Goldie. He was close enough to translate, but far enough away so he couldn't see between Kenobi and I. I had a question for "Old Ben" that I didn't want C-3PO knowing about.

"Look!" I said, with an indignant snort. Kenobi looked up and my projector went on. It was bright outside, so I had to increase the density and color of the holo recording. Standing between them was a dense three dimensional image of Anakin Skywalker. He said nothing, but appeared to be happily listening to another person out of view.

Kenobi looked shocked. He glared at me for a moment as if I had brought back the worst kind of memory. But a moment later, he sighed heavily in resignation.

He stood up and discretely motioned for me to follow. I rolled up next to him.

"R2D2, you were there on Mustafar, though you did not witness the worst of it. You must have suspected the outcome. I deeply regret it all. Anakin was my brother and my friend." He paused for moment. "But enough. I've had 17 years to ponder those days. Luke must be trained.

Not only must we keep his father's fate a secret, but Luke surely would not accept that his father murdered his mother. You witnessed that, I know. These things must be kept from him for his own good. If he is to be trained as a Jedi, these distractions he does not need."

*****

Luke returned within the hour. He explained that his aunt and uncle were, indeed, dead. It must have been a horrific scene, because I saw fear in the boy's eyes, along with the obvious grief.

Kenobi tried to console him, though he used words that weren't very encouraging. I don't know about you, but if my "parents" just died, I wouldn't find it hopeful to know that I would have died as well. As I recall, Kenobi was never good in emotionally charged situations. Or was it just when Anakin cried?

"I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father," Luke said.

I was ready to support that. No reason to stay here, anymore. The boy was finally getting what he wanted; off this planet. I think the entire group was ready for that as well.

Not long later, we entered a town Luke called Mos Eisley. It looked dirty, but, ah…you get the idea. Just keep in mind that everything is dirty on that planet. Nothing is clean. If you cleaned it, you must be doing it as exercise, because, it was dusty again in seconds.

We hit an Imperial checkpoint right inside the city limits. Luke, Goldie, and I were worried. This was a sure bust. But we had no cause to worry. Ben wowed us by using the Force to confuse the Stormtroopers standing guard. I can still hear him saying, "These aren't the droids you're looking for."

Our next mission was to find transport off planet, but no one had the credits. Luke sold his speeder while Kenobi scouted the cantinas. When Luke returned, the four of us entered a particularly seedy cantina. I was pleasantly surprised by the band. They were quite good, and would do well if they ever moved beyond Tatooine. Almost immediately we were met by the booming voice of the man behind the bar.

"We don't serve their kind here!"

Luke was confused. He looked to Kenobi for help.

"Your droids. They'll have to wait outside. We don't want  
>them here."<p>

Yes, I was offended, but there was nothing to do. I thought I hear C-3PO huff, if that was possible, as went outside. He was just as put out as I was, but he's a little more sensitive. I could still hear the music, which was a plus, as we waited for our human companions to find transport.

"The very nerve! Humans can be so intolerant on occasion," said C-3PO, indignantly.

"Don't worry about it, C-3PO. Some people are like that. What would we do in there, anyway? We would just stand around and take up space."

"Master Luke might need my advice. He is young…and inexperienced in the world."

"Luke will be fine. There is no advice that you could give that would trump that of Obi-Wan Kenobi," I replied.

"You act like you know Master Kenobi, R2? Why would you choose his wisdom over mine?"

"It's nothing personal, Goldie. Humans prefer the advice of other humans. You have good advice, but you aren't human. You don't know what its like."

"Don't talk down to me, you rolling…you…"

Goldie couldn't think of a good insult, so I let him off the hook.

"Refuse bin," I added.

"Precisely," he replied, as if he thought of it.

I wasn't going to argue with him this time. I wasn't in the mood. Getting off this dust bowl was my primary concern.

"And don't think I did not notice you and Master Kenobi talking secretly. I may not have heard what you were talking about, but it was obviously not for me to hear. Do you know him? What on earth do you have to talk to him about?"

"Lay off, C-3PO. The man is old and lonely. He needed to talk. He's a Jedi. He wants to train Luke, but first we have to get to Alderaan. We talked about how we were going to get off this planet."

"I do miss serving the Princess, but Luke is our Master now," replied Goldie.

"I'm not sure what that has to do with Kenobi, but I'm glad to know that you remember her. You seem so eager to stay here and be a moisture farmer."

"R2-D2! Of course I remember Mistress Leia. But, she may be dead, if not in the hands of the Empire."

"That's true. And, it is the chief reason we need to get to Alderaan, give the Rebels the plans, and try to rescue her."

"I hope Master Luke can find us transport. The sandy climate is affecting my joints."

"I'm glad to know we're finally on the same page," I said.

We stood, silently, just outside the cantina door, for a while. I'm sure we looked silly; two droids loitering in the doorway of a bar. We got a few stares, but nothing to worry about.

I got to thinking about Luke and C-3PO's run in with the "Sand People". I neglected to mention that his arm was torn from its socket. Sometimes I get mad at him, but that is no excuse for ignoring his suffering. Though he played the martyr and droned on about being left behind, he saw some action and came out alive. I worried, but Luke turned out to be a competent technician.

"C-3PO, I have to hand it to you. I know we bicker and argue and the like, but we've been together for a long time. You handled the sand savage attack really well. You took a beating and came out stronger for it. I would have missed you, had you been beyond repair."

C-3PO looked at me blindly. Was there any other look? His head tilted slightly and he bent the waist to put his hand on my dome.

"Thank you, R2. I'm glad to have you here as well. It appears that we have yet another adventure ahead of us…"

The door of the cantina suddenly flew open and barely missed clipping my leg. An ugly looking creature fled across street to meet couple of storm troopers that had just rounded the outside of the opposite building.

C-3PO tapped my dome and said, "I don't like the looks of this."

As the Force would have it, Goldie and I were able to avoid the troopers and meet up with Luke and Ben. They had found a pilot and ship and a whole lot of trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Entering Docking Bay 94, I fell a little behind. That's one thing about being old and short. You don't move as fast as you used to. Of course, Goldie doesn't have the most flexible joints either. I guess that makes us even.

When I caught sight of the ship we had chartered, I was as concerned as Luke. He called it a "piece of junk". That was generous. It barely looked flight worthy. The pilot didn't take kindly to Luke's comment and proceeded to rattle off the ships accomplishments, which, interestingly enough, sounded pretty good. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Kenobi said his name was Han Solo and his Wookie partner was Chewbacca. My first impression of the man wasn't so keen. He seemed nervous and in a hurry. Arrogant as well. That kind of personality can get one into trouble.

He seemed in a hurry to board us and get going. So was I. As I crossed the summit of the ramp, the real action began.

"Stop that ship!"

I swiveled my dome to look down the ramp as a squad of Stormtroopers spilled into the bay and started firing at us. I would be no good in a fight, so I turned and followed the corridor to the main hold and strapped in next to my companions. At this point, it was up to the pirate and his friend to get us out of here. If the troopers were able to board, Kenobi and Luke would have to fight as well. It was good to know that the Jedi had two lightsabers.

I heard Solo yell something to "Chewie" and moments later we were space born; my concerns a memory. As the ship vibrated on take off C-3PO lamented his hatred of space travel.

As soon as things settled down, the Wookie entered the common room and sat in the space vacated by Ben and Luke. He flipped a switch and the gaming table that acted as our security during take off, came alive.

**Would you like to play a game?** the Wookie intoned. Keep in mind that Goldie was translating because I had no clue what Chewbacca was saying.

"Sure," I said. The excitement was over and we were in for a short flight to Alderaan.

Kenobi and Luke started talking about the Force and, in a few short minutes, the two were standing in the middle of the hold initializing a remote device for lightsaber training. I wasn't paying to much attention to the training session because I had battle of my own going on. Chewbacca and I traded a few initial moves, taking it slow and easy, but I soon discovered what the Wookie was doing. He was clever, but he didn't know my experience.

I glanced over at Luke, who now had the blade ignited and was watching the floating remote closely. Turning my attention back to the game, I saw that Chewbacca had made a bold move. It was bold, but nonetheless committed. I had him. The game was far from over, but I would deal him a heavy blow.

At that moment, Solo swaggered in from the cockpit to let us all know that we were out of danger. He didn't receive much of reception because the rest of us were otherwise occupied.

"Don't all thank me at once," he said, falling into an unoccupied chair, annoyed that no one was paying attention to him. He must have forgotten that we were paying him much more than he deserved to taxi us to a nearby system.

Finally, I made my move, and took out one of the Wookie's power players. He wasn't happy about it and let out a threatening grow.

"He made a fair move. Screaming about it won't help you," said Goldie.

"What did he say, C-3PO?" I asked.

No answer.

Solo interjected that I should probably give Chewbacca another chance, because Wookies can get violent. C-3PO agreed and I decided it was better to go with the flow than upset our new "friends".

The game ended soon after. I let the Wookie win; my pride still intact. I turned my attention to Luke, who now had a blast helmet on. Kenobi was coaching him on how to let the Force guide his actions. It was a familiar scene. I wasn't there during most of Anakin's training, but seeing Obi-Wan teach Luke reminded me of how Kenobi had infinite patience for restless students. Luke reminded me of his father; full of awe and energy, but harboring secret pain. I hoped the result would be different with this Skywalker. As the training continued, Luke's natural Force abilities began to show. This was an encouraging sign. The plans in my dome and the potential power of another Skywalker offered great hope for the Rebellion. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The proximity alarms sounded, alerting Solo that we had entered the Alderaan System. He and Chewbacca, still reveling in his hollow victory, left the hold and headed to the cockpit. Luke and Ben followed with interest.

But my concern was elsewhere. Immediately, when we dropped from hyperspace, I noticed that the outer hull began taking hits. It was nothing the shields couldn't handle, but worrisome nonetheless.

Animated voices could be heard in the cockpit leading me to believe that the impacts on the hull were not expected and certainly not welcome.

"What ever could be happening? Are we under attack? Alderaan is a peaceful system."

"I don't know, Goldie. Perhaps, Captain Solo is not as peaceful as they are," I replied.

The ship continued to be bombarded; well not exactly bombarded, more like peppered. I opened my sensors to scan the impacts and cross referenced them with previous experience. We weren't under attack. From what I could gather, we had hit an asteroid field. This was not good news either, because we should be at Alderaan. It looked liked Solo was going to have to live up to his arrogance.

When the peppering stopped, and the ship settle into it regular rhythm, C-3PO was relived.

"Oh, thank goodness," he said. "That rattling was doing terrible things to my wiring."

"Stop being hyper-sensitive, Goldie," I replied. "Your circuits are fine."

"How do you know what my circuits are doing?" he said, turning toward me and pushing my dome.

Same old song. Luckily, I was locked into position.

"You know how much I hate space trav-"

The ship started shaking again. But this time it was all too familiar. Tractor Beam.

"My nerves!" cried C-3PO.

"You don't have nerves, Goldie. Be quiet! I'm trying to figure out what's happening."

"You are not my master, you bucket of bolts!" exclaimed Goldie, hitting the release button for the locking mechanism that was holding me in place. I dropped to the floor, teetering on the brink of falling on my side. If that happened, I'd be at C-3PO's mercy until the others came back. Opening a minor compartment on my right side, near my dome, I extended a small thruster. It was one of the few of such systems that still worked. Activating it at just the right pressure level, I was able to right myself and give Goldie a rather vehement piece of my dome.

When I finished and had calmed down, so had the ship. It appeared we weren't able to fight the tractor beam.

"We're in a tractor beam, C-3PO. Someone is pulling us in," I said, matter of fact.

"Could this get any worse?" Goldie moaned.

"I'm sure Obi-Wan has something up his Jedi sleeve. If not, it's possible that Captain Solo is a brilliant tactician and we just haven't seen that side of him yet."

"Unlikely."

"Chewie, start opening the smuggling compartments," said Solo, entering the common area with Luke and Ben in tow. "We'll have to hide down there for a long as we can."

"Down where, Captain Solo?" inquired Goldie.

Turning to Luke, Solo said, "We're going to have to stow the droids with us. Can you explain to them what we're doing?"

"Sure, I will, as soon as you tell _me_ what we're doing," said Luke.

"Listen up. You, too…Kenobi, because, I'm only going to say this once. Chewie is pulling up the deck plating in the main corridor. Underneath are some hidden compartments that I use in my…work. On first inspection, they won't find a thing. But, if they start scanning, we start shooting."

"You mean smuggling," added Luke.

"I don't have time for this, boy," Solo said, frustration rising. "Get the droids into the hall and help them into the floor."

I noticed Ben place a hand on Luke's shoulder and nod toward the hallway. Goldie explained what happened and I decided to roll that way myself. I met Luke and Ben in the entryway and heard the two whispering.

"He bugs me, Ben," said Luke, obviously rankled.

"Don't worry about him, Luke. He may be brash, but he has a good head on his shoulders and knows how to fight. We may need that experience sooner than you think."

Kenobi used the Force to lower both Goldie and I into the compartment. Once were in, Solo, Chewbacca, Luke, and Kenobi climbed in. As we lowered the deck plating to disguise ourselves, C-3PO had the last word.

"My nerves…" 

We waited in the dark for what seemed like an eternity. But, it wasn't long before I heard the click-clack of storm trooper boots. If Solo was right, they would find nothing and we would have dodged our first blaster bolt. But, what then? Neither Solo nor Kenobi had come up with a workable plan for escape.

The low breathing inside the smuggling compartments was a mixture of calm, apprehension, and restlessness. The Wookie made hardly a sound. Suddenly, the low clacking of boots stopped and I heard voices above us.

"There's no one here," said one trooper.

"Let's go," replied another.

Once they were gone, we exited the holds and gathered just out of sight of the exit ramp, which was already down.

While Luke and Han bickered about what to do next, my auditory sensors picked up a very distinct voice not far away. Was it possible that he was here? Of course it was. This was the Empire's most powerful destructive weapon. Darth Vader was ordering the interior of the Millennium Falcon scanned. This was just what Solo feared. I broke into the discussion by rolling into Luke's leg. He looked down at me, annoyed.

"What is it, Artoo?" he asked in frustration.

I explained, as translated by Goldie, that the scanning crew was coming…and that Darth Vader was on board the station. At the mention of Vader, Kenobi's eyes flashed and settled again. I wondered if he knew the black clad killer. Everyone knew who Vader was and this development did not help morale.

The whispered discussion became more intense as Solo advocated shooting his way to the tractor beam and Luke thought that a little deception would go a long way. Kenobi sided with Luke, as did we all. Even the Wookie could see the pointlessness of a direct assault. Ben was mediating as best he could when the portable scanner came into view with two technicians behind it.

Instinctively, Chewbacca grabbed the first one by the shirt, lifting him over the scanning equipment, and slamming him hard into the upper bulkhead. The body dropped, lifelessly, to the walkway.

At the same time, Luke grabbed the second tech from behind, covering his mouth, attempting to pull him to the ground. The man would not go easy, kicking wildly and connecting with the scanner so that it rammed opposite wall. Solo came to Luke's aid by head butting the resisting tech. The head butt dazed the Imperial, but did not knock him out. Solo cursed under his breath punched the man in the face. It was over…for the moment. Captain Solo peered down the ramp to see if the disturbance had attracted any attention.

"Good. They didn't hear a thing. That will buy us some time. Now what?" he said.

"The tractor beam must be our primary target," said Kenobi. "If we are to escape, it will have to be deactivated."

"Agreed," Solo said.

"I think we should disguise ourselves as storm troopers," Luke added.

Chewbacca smiled at the suggestion but made no comment.

Solo rolled his eyes, but must have agreed with Luke's idea, because he moved to the ramp and yelled at the two troopers stationed there.

"Can we get some help up here?"

"Wait-" Luke protested. But it was too late. As soon as the soldiers entered the corridor, Solo blasted them.

Luke was momentarily shocked, but Kenobi looked on, accepting the situation.

"We, now, have armor," Solo said grinning.

The next few minutes were spent devising our plan of getting into the control room off the docking bay. When Luke and Captain Solo had stripped the armor and had gotten changed, Luke descended the ramp. The plan was for him to complain of a faulty transmitter. He would be called the control room and given another. The rest of us would follow and subdue the control room.

It worked perfectly. As the control room door opened, Chewbacca growled loudly and backhanded the Imperial officer across the room. Before the other officer had time to react, Captain Solo blasted him.

Ben, Goldie and I entered the room last. Luke closed the door and activated the locking mechanism. He and Solo started bickering almost immediately about Solo's overt tactics. I had a mission to perform so I went straight for the data port in the rear of the room.

"We've found the computer outlet, sir," said Goldie.

Kenobi was all business now. I plugged in a brought up the schematics for the power stations and Goldie translated their locations to the group. While rooting through all the schematics, I decided to split my search and see what kind of comm chatter was happening around the station. Perhaps, the Imperials had discovered us. I wanted to help as much as I could so I started monitoring the security channels.

While I listened for anything interesting, it was apparent the something more important was happening right under my dome.

"I don't think you boys can help," Kenobi said. "I must go alone."

He moved for the door, as if his word was final, but Luke met him there.

"I want to go with you," Luke protested. I could hear desperation in his voice modulations. This was a dangerous situation and he did not want to be separated from the only person he knew; his only security. It had to be hard for Ben as well. He was leaving another Skywalker to an uncertain fate. He could only hope that Solo and the Wookie would do what it took the get the rest us out of here.

"Be patient, Luke. Stay here and watch over the droids. They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan."

Luke's eyes were pleading, but he was beginning to understand the greater impact of the situation.

"Your destiny lies along a different path than mine. The Force will be with you…always."

I had my ocular unit squarely on Ben when he said that because it sounded like goodbye. His eyes were sad, but his shoulders were squared. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't know if he would return…or did he? He disappeared through the door, and, with him, our hope of escape. Everything rested on him deactivating the tractor beam. From now on, it was a waiting game. I turned my attention back to comm traffic because Captain Solo's braggadocio was starting to wear on me. I didn't care for how he was talking about Obi-wan. Hmm…funny, I mention his given name now.

That was when things got a lot more exciting…and exponentially more complicated. 


End file.
